About the Book
Book: A Not So Convenient Marriage
Author: Sandra Merville Hart
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction
Release date: November 8, 2022
A spinster teacher…a grieving widower…a marriage of convenience and a second chance with the man she’s always loved.
When Samuel Walker proposes a marriage of convenience to Rose Hatfield so soon after the death of his wife, she knows he doesn’t love her. She’s loved him since their school days. Those long-suppressed feelings spring to life as she marries him. She must sell her childhood home, quit her teaching job, and move to a new city.
Marrying Rose is harder than Samuel expected, especially with the shadow of his deceased wife everywhere in his life. And he has two young children to consider. Peter and Emma need a mother’s love, but they also need to hold close the memories of their real mother as they grieve her loss.
Life as Samuel’s wife is nothing like Rose hoped, and even the townspeople, who loved his first wife, make Rose feel like an outsider. The work of the farm draws the two of them closer, giving hope that they might one day become a happy family. Until the dream shatters, and the life Rose craves tumbles down around them. Only God can put these pieces back together, but the outcome may not look anything like she planned.
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My Thoughts:
What happens when your dream comes true, and you marry the love of your life? Isn't it supposed to be happily ever after? Well for Rose Hatfield that sentiment is anything but true. Wanting to comfort her childhood friend, and her secret love, Samuel Walker on the loss of his wife, Rose gets more than she ever bargained for. She does get a marriage that was a dream she though was long gone for her spinster heart. She also gets to love on Peter and Emma, Samuel's young children. But as the title suggests, even though this started out as a marriage of convenience, it quickly snowballs into an inconvenient marriage for all involved.
I felt for Rose and how she tried to ease everyone's burdens. Accepting whatever place, she was allowed in the family and telling herself that that would be enough. However, her heart and soul ached at being more than just a housekeeper, her soul ached for acceptance of her and for true love.
Samuel could be clueless a lot of the time. He also was ruled by so much guilt. I do understand that his grief needed time, but sometimes I though he was going to prolong that forever.
This was a story of a family that needed healing and love. A family that lost a beloved mother and gained another in much too short of a time. I was entrenched in this family's well-being along their friends and their neighbors. The ending of this story was all about what makes a family and was a beautiful extension of the love that could bring.
I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.
About the Author
More from Sandra
There are some stories that must be told. A Not So Convenient Marriage is one of them for me.
I don’t know what it is about this story, but once I began writing it over a dozen years ago, the characters wouldn’t leave me alone.
I wrote the first draft of this book a few years before my first book—another book, A Stranger on My Land—released, so I was still learning about the writing journey. I’m certain that my first draft of A Not So Convenient Marriage wasn’t ready for publication because it was rejected.
But the characters in my imagination wouldn’t allow me to let this one go. I edited and reedited, using skills I learned at writing conferences. Then I tried again with another editor. Another rejection.
Discouraged, I worked on other writing projects and met with a little success. When my first Civil War romance published, I decided to follow my heart and continue writing about that turbulent time period.
This book was set aside.
Still, every morning I woke up thinking about the characters in A Not So Convenient Marriage. In my mind, I’d rewrite a scene from the book as I lay, trying to sleep, in the middle of the night. Or the story would haunt me before falling asleep at night, keeping me awake an hour or two.
This happened almost daily for years.
Finally, I pulled up the manuscript again. It had been written in my early days so it required a lot of modification. I asked my agent to begin showing my updated proposal for the book. She was happy to do this because she always believed in this book. In fact, she decided to represent me after reading for proposal for it.
By the way, the story was still keeping me awake as I waited to sign a book contract.
Last year, I was thrilled when Misty Beller, Wild Heart Books, offered me a contract for a three-book series for this novel. Not only that, she also gave me a three-book contract for my “Spies of the Civil War” series, that published this year. (I invite you to read the whole “Spies of the Civil War” series beginning with Book 1 Avenue of Betrayal, Book 2 Boulevard of Confusion, and Book 3 Byway to Danger.)
Misty told me that she cried when reading my manuscript for A Not So Convenient Marriage—the first time that had ever happened for a submission. That touched my heart.
I’m happy to say that scenes from the book no longer keep me awake at night…for now the story will be told.
Blog Stops
Texas Book-aholic,
November 1
For Him and My
Family, November 1
lakesidelivingsite,
November 2
Truth and Grace
Homeschool Academy, November 3
Holly’s Book
Corner, November 3
Debbie’s
Dusty Deliberations, November 4
deb’s Book
Review, November 5
Blossoms
and Blessings, November 5
Locks, Hooks
and Books, November 6
Abba’s
Prayer Warrior Princess, November 7
Inklings
and notions, November 7
Connie’s
History Classroom, November 8
Ashley’s
Clean Book Reviews, November 9
Through
the Fire Blogs, November 9
Babbling Becky L’s Book
Impressions, November 10
Pause for
Tales, November 11
To
Every BOOK There is a Season, November 11
Bizwings Blog,
November 12
Happily
Managing a Household of Boys, November 13
Mary Hake,
November 13
Vicky
Sluiter, November 14
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Sandra is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/2244d/a-not-so-convenient-marriage-celebration-tour-giveaway
A Marriage Not So Convenient sounds like a book that I will really enjoy reading and I am looking forward to reading it! Thanks for sharing it with me!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pause for Tales, for sharing your thoughts!
Have a magical day!
Looks like an interesting book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contest.
This sounds like a very good read.
ReplyDelete